AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Appointment of Bishop of Queenstown

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of the diocese of Queenstown, South Africa, the Reverend Fr. Paul Siphiwo Vanqa, S.A.C., until now diocesan administrator of the same see.
Msgr. Paul Siphiwo Vanqa, S.A.C., was born on 15 June 1955 in Xonxa, in the diocese of Queenstown. In 1979 he entered the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottini), and completed his novitiate in Germany, where he gave his first vows on 11 October 1982. He then concluded his priestly formation at Saint Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University.
He gave his perpetual vows on 6 October 1985, and was ordained a priest on 5 July 1986.
He subsequently held the following offices: parish vicar of the Holy Family parish in Dutywa (1986-1988), parish priest of Saint Thomas More in Tsomo (1988-1992) and parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Apostles at the Pallotti Farm, Queenstown (1993-1995), formator at Saint Vincent Pallotti House in Merrivale and Pietermaritzburg, and at the same time parish priest of Imbali (metropolitan archdiocese of Durban) (1995-2010), parish priest of Saint Mary’s and Saint Joseph’s in Stutterheim (2011-2015), administrator of the Christ the King Cathedral, Queenstown (2015 to the present), vicar general (2011-2019) and, from 2019 to the present, diocesan administrator of Queenstown.
Within the Institute he has also held the offices of counsellor (1996-2002) and vice delegate (2002-2010). (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 3/3/2021)